Ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, Donald Trump shared what appears to be an AI-generated image of a giant golden eagle mounted on the White House’s Truman Balcony. Google detected a SynthID watermark, while photos taken after the post showed no eagle in place. Reposted by official White House accounts, the image sparked widespread mockery online, with critics calling it “tacky” and “cheap” and pointing out the White House isn’t 250 years old.
Trump posted the image to Truth Social late Monday, before it was quickly reshared by the White House’s official social media accounts. The image shows a large gold eagle with its wings spread across the Truman Balcony, flanked by a Stars and Stripes shield, alongside the caption: “A golden gift to the White House for its 250th birthday year!”
The post comes as Trump continues unveiling a series of ambitious plans tied to the 250th anniversary of American independence on the 4th of July, including his commemorative passports and his controversial plans to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
However, there is no evidence the golden eagle actually exists, and it appears to have been generated using artificial intelligence. Google’s SynthID detector identified its digital watermark embedded in the picture, suggesting that all or part of the image was created with Google’s AI tools.
Further casting doubt on its authenticity, freelance photographer Andrew Lyden shared photographs of the Truman Balcony on X that he said were taken around 9:30 p.m. Monday, after Trump’s post was published. The balcony appears unchanged, with no golden eagle visible.
Online reaction to the image was swift and deeply divided. Supporters praised the concept as a patriotic display, describing it as a “shining example of freedom and class” and a “powerful symbol of American strength.”
Critics, however, questioned several inaccuracies and why Trump would share the image. Some claimed the shield featured 11 stars instead of the 13 traditionally associated with the original colonies, arguing the design was historically inaccurate. Others pointed out that the White House itself is not 250 years old. Construction began in 1792 -16 years after the Declaration of Independence -and the building was completed in 1800.
The strongest reaction came from users who compared the oversized golden eagle to Nazi-era eagle imagery, accusing Trump of invoking fascist symbolism. Others rejected those comparisons, noting that the bald eagle has served as an official symbol of the United States for more than two centuries.
Many commenters simply ridiculed the design as “tacky” or “cheap,” and similar to Trump’s affinity for gold, based on his many golden touches and redesigns in the White House.
Vedika Bahl goes through it in Truth or Fake.
